The Orphanage

One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is that life just isn’t fair. 

Last week I was in Mexico, leading a group of folks who volunteered at an orphanage.   The orphanage exists because life isn’t fair.  It’s not fair that parents die and leave children behind.  It’s not fair that parents abandon their children because their lives are so difficult they just can’t care for them.  It’s not fair that field workers get paid less than five dollars a day to provide Americans with cheap produce.  It’s all just not fair.

But even in the midst of the injustices and unfairness, there is good.  I saw so much good last week that all the bad things were slightly diminished.

I saw goodness in the arms of a single young man, working at the orphanage, as he cradled a toddler on his lap, establishing a relationship with him that he hopes will last a lifetime.  He’s providing a father figure for this tiny boy who appeared rather shell shocked by all he’d already lived through in his short little life.

I saw goodness in the smile of a young woman as she talked about why she gave up her career as a lawyer to become a teacher for the disabled children in the area.  Her heart’s desire now is to open up her own orphanage for the physically disabled and mentally handicapped.  Her life as an attorney, she said, was meaningless.  Her life dedicated to helping others is the richest life she could imagine. Her personal comforts were of no concern to her.

I saw goodness in the story I heard an American dentist tell.  He came to the orphanage for just a week to volunteer his services.  He helped many people, but one boy he helped nearly brought him to tears.  At just six-years-old, this boy came to the orphanage’s clinic because he had pain in his mouth.  The dentist said an entire row of his teeth on one side were black, his gums were purple and one tooth was missing with only the roots sticking out as it had abscessed and fallen out.  The boy was so brave, he said.  He had a six-year-old boy back home and he couldn’t imagine him suffering to that same degree.  The dentist was able to pull all the rotten teeth, remove the infected roots and give him antibiotics.  He was humbled to be used in such a powerful way, as he knew in just a few more days, the boy would be pain free for the first time in a long time.

It’s hard sometimes, when we think of all the injustices in the world – all the unfair things going on around us – to feel we can make much of a difference.  It all seems so overwhelming.  But I can say with great confidence there are people out there making big differences in little ways each and every day, one person at a time.   It only seems fair that such injustice is met with such goodness.